Rutland 1989
I’ve been a proto-freelancer for years and only recently has the prototype modeling bug bitten me. I tried to have two eras on the same layout. 1960 Proto and 2009 Freelanced “what-if”. This failed as there were too many changes in that almost 50 year time that made it hard for the layout to be right for both. Thus turning back to 1989. Important elements like configuration of rail/highway crossings, the grain elevator in Ogdensburg and such were about the same from 1960 to 1989. This was important as the Route 14 crossing in Lisbon has a nice new(2004) set of crossbucks and gates that wouldn’t have fit in 1960. But the crossing was the same in 1989 as it was 1960.
Modeling 1989 is a little easier too. Yes there are no models of the infamous Dodge K-Car yet, but there are a lot of early-to-mid 1980’s cars out there. Engines in the US did not yet require ditchlights making wiring a little easier. The IPD box cars were still out there in force so it was very visually appealing.
1989 also was when I got serious into model railroading so it’s nice to go back and revisit some of the magazines and such from when I was 13.
Now about the Rutland in 1989:
The Rutland survived the strike of 1961-62 in similar fashion as the Florida East Coast in 1963. When the strike ended on the Rutland in 1962, operating rules that the railway wanted changed occurred and the divisional hub was moved from Rutland to Burlington. The order was completed for more motive power and the Rutland hummed along for another several years.
5 RS-11’s (700-704) were built in 1962 as were 5 RS-32’s (800-804) a year later.
In 1974 the railroad entered receivership again and plans were made to incorporate it into a “mini-Conrail” with the D&H and B&M however like the Boston and Maine, the Rutland’s receiver decided to go it alone and instead the Rutland ended up with trackage rights on what became Conrail.
Some new engines arrived in 1973 in the form SW1500’s (150-153) abd 1974 of GP38-2’s (210-215), allowing for the venerable RS-1’s to be retired. The RS-3’s, 11’s and 32’s still exist in 1989 so the Rutland is very much still an Alco-road with a few “visitors”.
The NYC run-through freights from Norwood to Malone Junction, NY were still in use after the Penn Central merger and leading up to Conrail. To this date (1989) those trackage rights are still used by up to 6 freights per day.
The Rutland ended up with trackage rights to from Malone Junction to Montreal on Conrail’s trackage.